Hidden Agenda

by Laurie Larsen

  The phone on the table rang and Alyssa picked it up. “Alyssa Stark.”

  “Phone call for you from Kensington Day School.”

  Alyssa frowned. Caroline’s school had never called her at work before. They sent home weekly newsletters and if individual communications were necessary, they had her email address. “Put them through.” She looked over at Grant.

  He gave her a curious look. “You all right? You look pale all of a sudden.”

  “It’s Caroline’s school.” She gripped the phone and he stood and came around to stand behind her, rubbing her shoulders lightly.

  “Ms. Stark?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Mrs. Carlisle.”

  The principal! “Is Caroline all right?” Her words tripped over themselves but the woman must have understood.

  “I want to put your worries at rest. It doesn’t appear to be serious, but it’s sort of an odd thing. Caroline has been struggling with a nosebleed for the last half hour or so. We had her put her head forward with a Kleenex but she bled through several layers of tissues quite quickly.”

  “Oh my!” Alyssa felt a grip on her shoulders. She leaned back and looked into Grant’s eyes. He looked almost as worried as she felt.

  “Unfortunately the flow was quite strong for the first ten minutes and she bled all over her blouse and jumper.”

  “Oh no, poor Caroline.”

  “We ended up taking her to the nurse’s office, who packed her nose with cotton and had her sit there so she could keep an eye on her. The bleeding appears to have stopped but I think the episode has taken a toll on her.”

  “I’m sure it has.”

  “How do you want to handle it, Ms. Stark? We can keep her here and try to clean her up a little. Or if you want to take her home it would be an excused absence.”

  “I’ll come and get her. Thank you for the call. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She hung up and took a deep breath. Grant immediately came around to face her, his eyes expressing his question.

  “I’m sorry, Grant…”

  “Something wrong with Caroline?”

  Alyssa shook her head and exhaled a pent up breath. “Not sure. She had a really bad nosebleed that wouldn’t seem to get under control. She bled for a half hour before they could stop it, and poor thing, it got all over her uniform.”

  He nodded sympathetically. “Which would make it pretty hard to put the incident behind her, huh? Constant reminder?”

  “Yeah. Plus, it seemed to take a lot out of her. She’s exhausted.” She gestured around the table. “I’m afraid I’ll have to reschedule …”

  Grant made a dismissive sound. “Don’t even think about it. We’ll meet when Caroline is feeling better. This is much more important.”

  “Thanks for understanding. This doesn’t happen very often and I know she’s frightened. I just want to be there for her.”

  “Of course.” He gathered up their materials and shoved them across the table towards her.

  “I guess a cab will be the quickest way to get there,” she murmured as she picked up the stack and headed for the door.

  “Nonsense. I’ve got a car and driver downstairs. I’ll take you.”

  They walked together down the hall in the direction of her office. “That’s not necessary.”

  “I know. But I want to help you, I want to help Caroline, and in this case at least, I can.” They reached her office and she dashed inside. She dumped her materials on her desk, grabbed her coat and turning back, nearly ran right into him. “Let me,” he said.

  “Okay.” They raced to the elevator and rode it down to the lobby. Grant pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

  “Tuck, meet me out front. Now.”

  They crossed the gleaming lobby floor to the door and out onto the sidewalk. Grant threw a quick look to his right, then turning, to his left. “He’s not here yet. But I’m sure he’s just fighting with traffic. He’ll be here.”

  She reached for his hand and slipped hers into it. “Thanks for doing this.”

  He locked gazes with her. “No problem.”

  They stood there another thirty seconds and Grant raised his hand. He’d spotted his driver, and motioned him in against the curb. He bent at the waist to open the back door before the vehicle had come to a full stop, and rested his hand on Alyssa’s shoulder, guiding her into the backseat.

  She slid over the shined black leather, slick as she moved into the seat on the driver’s side. Grant was suddenly beside her and he recaptured her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

  “Sorry about that, boss. The traffic is nuts.”

  “It’s all right. Alyssa, give him the address. Tuck, you need to make tracks.”

  Alyssa gave him the cross-street block of the school in Greenwich Village and leaned back. She took a deep breath and sighed. Grant squeezed her hand again and moved closer to her. The warmth of his closeness and his now-familiar scent made her feel safe. Strong.

  “She’ll be all right.”

  She nodded. “I know. It’s not serious, I’m sure. But I’d just like to see her myself. Hold her. Be there for her.”

  “You’re a great mother.” Then, they sank into silence for the rest of the ride.

  * * * *

  They pulled up to Alyssa’s townhouse and Grant jumped out of the front seat as soon as the tires stopped rolling. When they’d retrieved the little girl from school and walked her to the limo, her little eyes lit up for a second at the sight of it. Then she and her mother slid into the back seat and sat there, Alyssa’s arms around her, and Caroline’s head nestled against her mom’s chest. It was a mother/daughter moment he couldn’t justify interrupting. So, he’d ridden in front with Tuck.

  “Stay here,” he ordered his driver who waved calmly and settled back in his seat, pulling his hat over his eyes, by all appearances readying himself for a nap after his frustrations with city traffic.

  The ladies were making their way slowly out of the car. Without thinking, he scooped Caroline up in his arms and held her, cradle-style, and waited for Alyssa to get out. When she did, she gave him an eyebrows-up look. He shrugged. “Thought it would be easier. No?”

  Alyssa chuckled. “If Caroline’s okay with it, I am too.”

  Grant looked into his little girl’s eyes. “Okay if I carry you, sweetheart?”

  She nodded.

  But for a second he didn’t move. Her blouse was speckled with the bright crimson proof of her ordeal and her skin was drained of color. “I hate that you don’t feel good.”

  She closed her eyes and said, “Me, too.”

  He carried her to the door, and after Alyssa unlocked it, up the stairs. Inside the apartment, Alyssa gestured to set her down. He repressed the impulse to give the little girl a kiss on her cheek.

  “I’ll take her in her room, get her out of these clothes and into something comfortable.”

  He nodded and watched them until they disappeared into Caroline’s room. He pulled out his cell, called Miranda and told her to reschedule the rest of his day. He was tied up and not sure when he’d be free. He was just sliding his cell into his pocket when he heard Alyssa’s words, “Grant, could you come here, please?”

  He trotted down the hall and entered the room to see them both sitting on the bed. Caroline’s uniform sat on the floor and she now wore a tee-shirt and loose-fitting shorts. Alyssa held one of Caroline’s arms in her hands and was studying it carefully. He joined them and followed Alyssa’s gaze.

  Caroline’s arm sported several bruises, some more colorful than others. Alyssa ran a finger over the discolored spots, then turned her head to look up at him. “Look at these.”

  The significance of the moment was not lost on him and nearly made him breathless. This is what real parents did – they got calls at work reporting a sick child, they dropped everything to go pick them up, and then they talked together about the child’s condition.

  Alyssa was actually including him in her examination of her daughter.
Of their daughter.

  But of course, he’d better check himself before his emotions took control of – and ruined – the moment.

  He stepped closer and sat on the side of the bed. “Bruises.”

  She nodded, then turned to Caroline. “How’d you get these, sweetie?”

  Caroline shrugged.

  Alyssa looked at him, then back at her. “Did someone grab your arm, honey? Squeeze it really tight?”

  Caroline shook her head. “Not that I can remember.”

  Alyssa studied her daughter for a moment, then turned to her other arm. A few bruises appeared there too, less angry than the first, but still, present. “Think really hard, honey. How long have you had these bruises? And how did you get them?”

  “I don’t know!” The response came out as a whine and it didn’t take an experienced father to know that the girl was sleepy, not feeling well, and not enthused about this line of questioning.

  Alyssa recognized it too. “Okay, honey. But before you snuggle into bed and take your nap, tell me how your nosebleed started. Did something happen to cause it?”

  Caroline gave her a puzzled look. “Nothing. I was just sitting there at my desk when I heard a splash on my shirt. I looked down and there was a big red circle! I didn’t even know what it was till Mindy screamed ‘She’s bleeding!’ and pointed at me, and suddenly everyone was looking at me.”

  “Must’ve been horrible.” He hadn’t even realized he would say it until he did.

  Caroline sniffed. “Yeah.”

  Alyssa met his gaze and held it for a moment, then said, “Okay sweetie. You’ll feel better after your nap. Say good-bye to Mr. Fontaine.”

  She gave him a weak wave and he stood to leave. At the door, he turned back and watched Alyssa rub her forehead and sing softly in her ear. Caroline let her eyes drift closed and lay quietly.

  He walked to the living room and killed some time while Alyssa was finishing up with Caroline. He found a series of photo albums on a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf and pulled out the furthest to the left. As he hoped, it was the first of the series, beginning with Alyssa in her “very pregnant” days, and then progressing on to Caroline as a baby. He sat down with the book on his lap and studied the progression of Caroline through the months of infancy.

  So much he had missed. During these days when Alyssa was nurturing her infant daughter, Grant had no idea whatsoever that his seed had been pulled from a bank and combined to create the awe and wonder of this beautiful little girl. He thought back to this same timeframe in his own life – seven to eight years ago – and remembered what he’d been doing. Working himself to a frazzle, avoiding going home, trying to convince himself that a challenging and successful career was enough of a life. Because the longer he stayed at the office, the less time he spent with idle hours, depressed over the loss of Marguerite.

  “She’s asleep. I knew she would drift off if she let herself.” Alyssa walked into the room and sat beside him on the couch. Glancing at the album on his lap, she laughed. “Oh boy, you must have been bored – pulling out the ole baby pictures, huh?” Then she pointed to one of the photos on the page. It showed Caroline, about a year old, sitting in a high chair with a bib around her neck and most of a serving of spaghetti sauce on her head, face and chest. “Her first exposure to spaghetti. What a mess. I had to strip her clothes off her and take her immediately to the bath.”

  She flipped a page and pointed at another one. “First time to sit on Santa’s lap. She screamed like a banshee. The old man had no idea what to do so he just grimaced at the camera while holding her at arm’s length.”

  Grant chuckled. He flipped a few more pages. A trip to the petting zoo. Birthday parties. Playing in the sand at the beach. “I have to say – you get around. You covered a lot of ground in this album.”

  She nodded. “One album per year.” She pointed to the shelf. “See, there’s eight albums? I made myself a promise that every year, I’d have enough fun and educational events to fill an album. If it’s October and I’m only halfway through, I know I’m slacking.”

  He shook his head with a smile, marveling again at her mothering skills. “It couldn’t have been easy fitting all these events in every year with your busy work schedule.”

  Alyssa nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. My tendency would be to hibernate at the office and work 24/7. But when Caroline came along, I knew she was my top priority. By doing a wide variety of things together, it strengthens our mother-daughter bond, and it also provides her with life experiences, which help with her education. Those things take a higher priority than work.”

  She threw her hands to her mouth, her eyes open wide as she turned to Grant. “Brilliant, Einstein! I guess I shouldn’t admit that to my biggest client, of all people!” She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

  “No, no, don’t worry. I agree with you. Work is important, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not the most important thing. Family is higher up in the priority list, especially your own children.”

  She studied him for a moment. “I hope you realize by now that your advertising needs are very important to me, and to my firm.”

  “Of course.”

  “And regardless of my family situation, I have more than enough time and energy to fulfill your expectations.”

  He lifted a hand and caressed her jaw. “Don’t give me the company line, Alyssa. I think we’ve moved beyond that, don’t you?”

  He could have dove into the watery depths of her eyes as she stared at him. “I have no idea where we are.” She finished in a whisper, “I’ve never gotten involved with a client before. I’ve never dreamed of it.”

  He sighed and dropped his hand. “Me neither. I know it doesn’t make sense, and it would be wiser for us to keep professional distance.” Fighting the urge to kiss her, he leaned back on the couch. “But I can’t bring myself to pull away.”

  Alyssa flipped the photo album closed and carried it to the bookshelf, pushing it into its designated spot. “We’ll take it slow.”

  “Yes,” he answered right away. “Slow.”

  She returned to the couch and sat next to him. She sat in silence for a moment, then took a deep breath and exhaled it out. “What do you make of those bruises?”

  His mind clicked in on what he’d seen on Caroline’s arm. “Bully on the playground?”

  Alyssa nodded, considering. “It’s possible, although she denied knowing how she got them. She’s never been bullied, that I know of, and I hope she’d confide in me if she was having that problem.”

  He nodded. “What about her teacher? Would you ever suspect her of causing those bruises?”

  Alyssa wrapped her arms around herself and rolled her eyes. “I’m not even gonna go there, Grant. I don’t have any reason to suspect that, and from what I can see, she’s a really good teacher.”

  Grant lifted his hands to her in a gesture of submission. “Hey, look. I’m the single guy with no experience with kids. You’re the fantastic mother. I’m not suggesting anything. Just playing devil’s advocate, I guess.”

  She relaxed visibly and leaned back in her seat. She went quiet for a minute, then looked back at Grant, an expression of resolve on her face. “But I tell you what I am going to do.”

  She reached to the table beside the couch and picked up the telephone. Pulling an address book out of the drawer, she found the page she was looking for and dialed a number. As it rang, she let her gaze rest on his. “Can’t hurt to get a doctor to look at her. Between the unexplained bruises and the nosebleed, I want a professional opinion.”

  He nodded while she talked to the doctor’s office, trying to keep his bursting heart under control, not evident on the outside. He couldn’t have hand-picked a better mother for his only child. As she made her appointment, he allowed his mind to drift to the two of them, raising their daughter as a team.

  When she hung up, he forced his imagination to go backstage and back to reality.

  “She’s got an appointment for tomorrow
at nine.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The clock on the kitchen wall read 7:57 the next morning when the buzzer in the foyer sounded. Alyssa glanced at Caroline who looked up from her Cheerios and shrugged. Alyssa frowned. Who on earth would be outside buzzing this early in the morning? She was tempted to ignore it and hope the surprise visitor gave up and went away, but it sounded again. Persistent, weren’t they? Maybe the paper boy trying to collect payment? She sighed. Better to face them and send them on their way. Besides, they had to leave any moment to start the trek to the doctor’s office via public transportation.

  She walked to her door and held the button down, leaning in close to the speaker. “Yes?”

  Grant’s voice crackled through the tiny speaker. “Hi, it’s me.”

  She stared at the apparatus. “Oh, Grant. I’m sorry you made a trip over, but it’s not a good time. I’m trying to get Caroline out the door soon to go to the doctor. Can I call you from the office later?”

  She thought she heard a chuckle. “Actually, I’m here to take you to the doctor.”

  “What?”

  There was a slight pause. “Any chance we can discuss this face-to-face? So the people on the street don’t have to listen to every word?”

  She laughed. “Of course. Come on up.” She pushed the lock release and a few minutes later, there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find Grant dressed in worn denim jeans and an athletic shirt drawn tightly over his chiseled chest. She couldn’t help admiring the form he made in it.

  “Thanks for letting me up.”

  She wrenched her eyes away from his chest, met his eyes and folded her arms tightly against her chest. “Sure. But, Caroline and I can make it to the doctor on our own.”

  He nodded. “Oh, I know. But I found myself with a morning free of meetings, and just thought she might be more comfortable riding in a car, instead of a subway.”

  Alyssa smirked.

  “In case she got another nosebleed.” He raised his eyebrows and smiled.